The girls’ soccer team makes a first-time run to the state semifinals.

Over the last three years, Worthington Christian senior forward Madeleine Hulme earned three medals from the district championship game, all silver.

Hulme and this year’s senior class made sure they added a little variety to that color scheme. The Warriors collected gold medals after they defeated rival Columbus Academy 2-1 in a Division IV Central District game. The team then added a second gold medal after they slipped past Wheelersburg 2-1 in overtime in a regional semifinal and handled St. Clairsville 3-0 in a regional championship. Worthington Christian’s first trip to the state tournament ended on Nov. 5 when it succumbed to Cincinnati Summit Country Day 4-0 in a state semifinal to finish 17-5-2 overall.

“Our school hadn’t won a district title in 10 years,” said Hulme, whose team lost district finals to Grandview 2-1 last year and to Berlin Hiland 2-1 in a shootout in 2022 and 2-0 in 2021 during her tenure. “Once we won that district title, we had this extra boost of confidence and energy.”

After winning a district title in 2014, the Warriors made it to the district championship game seven times in 10 seasons. Until this year, they could never get past it.

“We hit all three of our goals,” coach Luke Fields said. “We beat Grandview (3-1 on Aug. 21), one of our rivals in the Central Buckeye League. We won the league title, and our third goal was to win the district title.

“We went further than any team in the program’s history. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of that.”

Fun, yes. Easy, no. The Warriors had to adjust on the fly to get through the season. Before the season began, senior forward Mclaine Oosterbaan (18 goals, 10 assists) sustained two ankle injuries and tore her right meniscus midseason. She put off three surgeries until the Warriors finished their tournament run. 

“Her doctor wanted to perform surgery on both her ankles (before the season), but she begged him to let her play,” Fields said. “She had to relearn how to pass and shoot with braces on her ankles.”

Worthington Christian also lost senior defender and captain Brooke Bambey to an ACL injury, the third such injury in her career. Finally, Hulme (13 goals, 14 assists) broke her collarbone in a collision with a Wheelersburg player in their regional semifinal.

“We were missing so many key parts to our team, but other girls stepped up and were able to bring the team back together,” said Hulme, the Division IV Central District and the CBL player of the year. “We were putting everything out there and doing our best to fight back.”

The team appeared to bottom out midway through the season after losing to Westerville Central 4-1, Olentangy 5-0, and Westerville North 3-0 in 11 days.

“Our season seemed to be going downhill, but we turned it around,” Hulme said. “We used to crack under pressure and snap at each other. That was not the answer. We learned we needed to be uplifting and encouraging each other.”

The improvement started with the team’s defense. The Warriors didn’t surrender a goal in the postseason until the win over Academy in a district championship.

“It started in the back with our (junior) goalkeeper Jayden Stults,” Hulme said. “She’s a brick wall.”

Fields had the team focus on I Corinthians and how love comes from the heart.

“We had to work through some stuff and build unity,” said Fields, the district and CBL coach of the year. “There was character building that I don’t think they even realize was happening.

“I had a couple of teachers today say they could see a difference from watching some games. It’s kind of cool and encouraging to hear that. All the other stuff is just icing on the cake.”

The “other stuff” included repeating as the league champion. The Warriors came into the postseason having won the Central Buckeye League championship with an 8-0 record, finishing ahead of Bexley (6-1-1) and Columbus Academy (6-2).

Hulme, Oosterbaan, and junior defenders Britton Kibbey and Anna Meadows (16 goals, eight assists) were first-team all-league. Senior midfielder Katie Mast (four goals, four assists) and juniors Stults, midfielder Elle Skidmore (two goals, eight assists), and defender Lily Thompson were second-team all-conference selections, and freshman forward Rylan Roads was an honorable mention.

Hulme, Oosterbaan, and Meadows also earned first-team all-district honors.

Fields credits his coaching staff of Steve Raikes, Newt Jones, Alanna Raikes Crawford, Cara Tomallo, and Bridgette Rettstatt for the team’s success and hopes the Warriors can learn from and repeat their journey.

“This is a new level for our program,” Fields said.  “The girls experienced it and know they can reach regional and state levels.

“Hopefully, we can get where this is the standard we expect. I hope many girls in the Lower School and middle school were watching this run and want to come out for the high school team someday.”

Worthington Christian Girls Soccer 2024

Seniors

Madeleine Hulme, Katie Mast, Brooke Bambey, Mclaine Oosterbaan, forward Avery Oakley, and defenders Bella Kauffman and Alicia Yoder.

Return Athletes

Lauren Fife and freshmen Roads, Faith Ashu, and Aliana Meadows are expected to return as forwards; juniors Skidmore, Hannah Davis, and Ava Sutton and sophomore Peyton Blary to the midfield; juniors Kibbey, Thompson, Katie Barron, Anna Meadows, and Sophia Valente to the defense; and Stults and sophomores Bright Ashu and Katilin Shinlever as goalkeepers.

Coaches

Luke Fields (WC ’97), Steve Raikes (WC ’97), Newt Jones (WC ’88), Alanna (Raikes) Crawford (WC ’19), Cara Tomallo, and Bridgette Rettstatt (WC ’17)